


A Good Place

by Luanna255



Category: Batman (Comics), Birds of Prey (Comic), Nightwing (Comics)
Genre: Amicable Exes, Banter, Barbara Gordon is Oracle, Canon Disabled Character, Complicated Relationships, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff, Friendship, Past Dick Grayson/Koriand'r, Pre-Flashpoint (DCU), Romance, Single Parent Dick Grayson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:29:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27779917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luanna255/pseuds/Luanna255
Summary: They’d come too far, made too much progress, to let anything sabotage the headway they’d made. They were in a good place. Not the place they’d dreamed of being, maybe, but a good place. It had taken a long time, after all the misunderstandings and hurt they’d caused each other, for them to get back to a place of absolute trust. There was a closeness between them that hadn’t been there in a while, and Babs did not intend to let anything threaten that.Besides, she knew, if they talked too long, he’d be sure to ask the dreaded question–“So, got any big plans for Valentine’s Day this year?”(Originally written in 2012.)
Relationships: Barbara Gordon & Mar'i Grayson, Barbara Gordon/Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson & Mar'i Grayson
Comments: 2
Kudos: 40





	A Good Place

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! As noted in the summary, this fic was originally written back in 2012, posted on tumblr. I recently re-read it and realized that (to my absolute shock) I still actually like it, so I'm sharing it with you guys here! I've resisted the temptation to update or edit anything, so what you see here is exactly the fic I wrote eight years ago.
> 
> As I noted at the time: This fic is set in the pre-reboot continuity, but a couple of years into the future. Canon is pretty much entirely post-Crisis except I kept Dick and Babs’ pre-Crisis age difference (7 years). And Nightwing Annual #2 is never canon in anything I write, ever. [This is still 100% true!]

Valentine’s Day was not a holiday with much meaning to Barbara Gordon.

That hadn’t always been the case, of course - there had been times, with various men, over the years, when she had allowed the day to stand for something in her mind - romance, hope, companionship. At one time, even true love.

Those times only served to remind her all the more starkly how much she lacked those things now.

Well, that wasn’t quite true, Babs reminded herself, staunchly pushing back the gloomy thoughts. There was no need to wallow in self-pity, even if a certain heart-festooned holiday _was_ lurking right around the corner. Companionship, certainly, was not something she lacked. She had friends, true friends, and she had family - of both biological and “unofficial” varieties. And besides, she had work. Barbara knew she was a vital and necessary touchstone to the entire superhero community, and that was something of which she was deeply proud. She had a full, productive, meaningful life, and she’d built it for herself.

Only–

Only, sometimes, she couldn’t help wanting something more.

Not often, of course. She didn’t let herself. But sometimes, when she saw couples kissing on the street, when she heard certain songs on the radio, well, _sometimes_ …

The weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day were the worst time of year. Suddenly, the whole world seemed to erupt with romance, and the ache that Babs liked to pretend wasn’t there became a lot harder to ignore.

It was at this excruciatingly vulnerable time of year that Barbara found herself on the phone with absolutely the _last_ person she wanted to talk to.

Dick Grayson had been many things to Barbara over the years - little brother, partner, best friend, lover, soulmate. It had been years since they’d been together romantically, and they’d both assured themselves (many times) that they were better off that way. Ordinarily, Babs liked talking to Dick. He could make her laugh like no one else could, and, more importantly, he had a way of knowing when she needed someone to talk to and when she needed to be private. But at this time of year, when her thoughts turned to topics she preferred to ignore… well, hearing Dick’s voice did things to Barbara. It made her start thinking things she’d rather not having been thinking, made her want things she didn’t want to want.

And that was dangerous. They’d come too far, made too much progress, to let anything sabotage the headway they’d made. They were in a good place. Not the place they’d dreamed of being, maybe, but a good place. It had taken a long time, after all the misunderstandings and hurt they’d caused each other, for them to get back to a place of absolute trust. There was a closeness between them that hadn’t been there in a while, and Babs did not intend to let anything threaten that.

Besides, she knew, if they talked too long, he’d be sure to ask the dreaded question–

“So, got any big plans for Valentine’s Day this year?”

Barbara grimaced. It wasn’t that there was anything _wrong_ with her Valentine’s Day plans. Staying home and doing research for Helena about a series of mysterious deaths by lead poisoning in Gotham’s Diamond District was, she was quite certain, an entirely valuable way to spend the day. If she had time afterwards, she might even get to snuggle up with a box of chocolates and watch _Pride and Prejudice_ , and if there was a better way than that to spend a night, Babs had yet to discover it.

But to… less enlightened minds, Barbara knew, her “plans” - or lack thereof - might read as pathetic. Lonely. And if there was one thing Babs _never_ wanted, it was to be the object of pity.

Especially not from Dick Grayson.

“Um, not really…” Barbara hazarded, trying to keep her tone light. “I mean, uh, nothing… concrete. Y'know, I’ll probably end up doing _something_ … how about you? Doing anything special?”

“Nah. Just gonna be home with the kid. Kory’s got a ‘hot date’, so we sort of decided I’d get Mar'i for Valentine’s. Actually, I was kind of wondering… ” Dick hesitated.

“Yes?”

“Well, uh, I sort of, um, wondered if you might like to, ah… y'know, come over. Spend time with us. Me and Mar'i, I mean. I know she’d love to see you, and, well… uh, I’d love to see you, too. You know, if you don’t have other plans - I mean, you probably do, but I just thought that if you, um, didn’t–”

Babs had to laugh at the way he stumbled over his words. _Some things never change, Boy Blunder_ , she thought. “Just as friends, right?” she confirmed. She spent a lot of time with Dick and Mar'i, but on Valentine’s Day, spending time together could have different implications, and she wanted to be absolutely clear about where they stood. Even so, spending the day with Dick was probably a bad idea, but… well, if Babs was totally honest with herself, maybe she _wasn’t_ entirely happy about the idea of spending Valentine’s Day alone.

“Of course! Strictly a friend thing,” Dick assured her. “So, you’ll come?”

It was a terrible idea.

They needed to maintain boundaries.

She shouldn’t do it.

_Just say no._

_No._

_No._

“Yes,” Babs said. “Yeah, I’d love to.”

“Great!” Dick sounded relieved. “I’ll see you there.”

“And you’re not doing this because you feel sorry for me… or because you think I need it… or… ?”

“Babs, who’s the one spending Valentine’s Day with a toddler, you or me?”

She had to laugh at that. “Fair enough.”

“Look, Babs, I think it would be nice, that’s all,” Dick continued more seriously. “No hidden agendas - I promise. _And_ Mar'i and I both made valentines for you, so it’ll be nice to deliver them in person.”

“You made me a valentine, Boy Wonder?” Babs asked, amused. “You should’ve said immediately. You wouldn’t have had to work _nearly_ as hard to convince me to come.”

“I think you’re putting a bit too much stock in my artistic skills, Babs,” Dick joked. “Mar'i, on the other hand, is brilliantly talented.”

“And you’re not biased at all on that, of course.”

“Are you suggesting my daughter is _not_ an artistic genius?” Dick bristled, mock-indignantly. “I’ll have you know her command of a glitter-glue pen is second to _none_.”

Babs leaned back in her chair, smiling. Now that she’d made her decision, she felt oddly relaxed. Sure, it might be a bad idea, but darn it, spending time with Dick was _fun_.

“I’ll see you on Valentine’s, okay?” she said, preparing to hang up.

“Right. I’d better go, too,” Dick agreed. “See you then.”

Neither of them hung up the phone.

“… You’re not hanging up,” Babs said after a minute.

“Neither are you.”

Barbara smiled into the phone, trying desperately not to feel like a giddy schoolgirl with butterflies in her stomach.

“Okay. That’s it. I’m going now.”

“Uh-huh.” She could practically hear his grin through the phone.

She quickly hung up before she could give in to an odd and inexplicable urge to giggle.

* * *

“It’s _not_ a date, Dinah.” Babs insisted, for what felt like the five-hundred-and-eighty-ninth time.

Dinah Laurel Lance, known to the superhero world as the Black Canary, tilted her head to regard her best friend with an amused smile.

“Right. Just like it wasn’t a date that time he took you to the circus and you couldn’t stop gushing for _days_ about how amazing it was.”

“Right.”

“Just like it wasn’t a date when he took you jumping out of a plane for your birthday.”

“Right.”

“Just like it’s not a date when you guys spend _every_ New Year’s Eve together.”

“… Right. Do you have a _point_ , Dinah?”

“My _point_ is, you guys certainly have a history of doing date-like activities together while claiming to _not_ be dating.”

“We’re friends, Dinah!” Barbara exclaimed, exasperated. She was starting to feel distinctly defensive, and what only made her more annoyed was that the feeling was usually an indication that her friend was right. “ _Friends_. That’s _all_. I mean, for goodness’ sake, his daughter’s going to be there. How romantic could that possibly be? It’s NOT. A. DATE.”

Dinah merely smiled at her friend’s tirade. “And does Dick know that?”

“As a matter of fact, he does,” Babs snapped. “We were both _extremely_ clear on the fact.”

Laughing slightly, Dinah held up her hands, as if in surrender. “Look, Babs, just listen, okay?” she entreated. “Has it occurred to you that Dick doesn’t say these… _outings_ are dates because he knows you wouldn’t agree to them otherwise?”

Barbara regarded her through narrowed eyes. “What’s _that_ supposed to mean?” she demanded.

“I’m saying what’s obvious to the entire world except for _you_ : Dick Grayson is in love with you. But he knows that if he ever said as much, you’d be up and running faster than the Flash on a bender. So he’ll keep things platonic if that what it takes to spend time with you. But you can’t keep going on like that. Sooner or later, something’s going to have to change. So the question you have to ask yourself is: Do _you_ love _him_?”

“I don’t– That isn’t- That’s not even _remotely_ …” Barbara sputtered. “You don’t understand _any_ -”

Dinah held up her hand for silence. “You don’t have to answer me now,” she said calmly. “It’s just something I’d think about if I were you, that’s all.”

* * *

“ _Sugar pie, honey bunch, you know that I love you…_ ” Dick Grayson sang, whirling his daughter around in his arms. “ _I can’t help myself, I love you and nobody else…_ ”

Mar'i giggled, threading her fingers in her father’s hair as he danced her around the kitchen, singing along to the radio. “ _In and out of my life, you come and you go… Leaving just your picture behind, and I’ve kissed it a thousand times…_ ”

Dick glanced over at the picture of Babs he always kept by his desk. Abruptly, he put his daughter down and shut off the radio with a single, curt motion.

Mar'i frowned. Like most small children, she was highly perceptive to emotions, and she could tell something was amiss. “Daddy? Wha’s wrong?” she asked plaintively, stepping on her tiptoes to tug at the bottom of his shirt.

Feeling guilty for having upset her, Dick bent down to look the little girl in the eye, gently smoothing back her hair. “Nothing’s wrong, princess,” he reassured her, flashing a smile that was only slightly too bright.

“What do you say we bake some special Valentine’s Day cupcakes, huh, Starshine? How does that sound?”

* * *

 _It’s not too late now,_ Babs thought, staring at Dick’s door. _I could turn around now and make some excuse. He’d never even know I was here._

But that was ridiculous, of course. She’d already come all the way there, and besides, Dick had surely heard the elevator door opening. He’d know what had happened, and that would create a far more awkward situation than anything that could possibly happen on the visit itself. 

She summoned up her courage and knocked on his door.

Dick appeared at the door promptly after the second knock, dressed simply in a short-sleeved T-shirt and jeans. As is often the case with parents of small children, his shirt had managed to acquire several mysterious stains over the course of the day (Mar'i had yet to grasp the concept that although her Tamarean genes allowed her to defy gravity, her applesauce didn’t possess the same properties). His black hair was rather mussed, and he had a bright, genuine smile on his face. He most definitely did _not_ look like someone dressed for a Valentine’s Day date.

Babs thought he was the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen.

Not that she’d ever have told him that, of course.

“Hey! You’re right on time,” Dick greeted cheerfully. “Wow, you look beautiful,” he added sincerely, looking her over.

The compliment was friendly, not flirtatious (at least by Dick Grayson standards), but in light of her recent conversation with Dinah, it made Babs distinctly uncomfortable. “This isn’t a date, right?” she blurted out.

Dick’s smile faded.

“You’ve been talking to Wally, haven’t you?” he groaned.

“To _Wally_?”

“Yeah. I spoke with him yesterday.” Dick frowned. “He kept _insisting_ that this was a date, even though I told him repeatedly that it was _not_. I mean, Mar'i’s going to be here! How date-like could that be?”

Babs found herself starting to laugh. “That’s exactly what I told Dinah!”

Dick and Babs looked at each other for a second. Then they both burst out laughing.

“Wally and Dinah are the _worst_ best friends,” Dick said, throwing his arm jovially around Barbara’s shoulders and ushering her inside.

“Absolutely. They’re fired from our best friend-ship,” Babs agreed, straight-faced. “So, how _is_ Wally, anyway?”

“He’s good. He and Linda are going out tonight. I told him he could drop the kids off here if he wanted, but he’s having Bart babysit. It’s probably for the best, anyway.” Dick made a face. “The last time Wally had me watch Jai and Irey, they decided it would be absolutely _hilarious_ to make me chase them around and around until I was just about ready to collapse from exhaustion.”

Babs snickered at the mental picture, and Dick elbowed her playfully. “Hey! You wouldn’t be laughing if _you_ were the one chasing after your speedster friend’s crazy-fast offspring.”

“Speaking of offspring, where’s yours hiding?” Babs asked.

“She just wanted to add a last finishing touch to your card,” Dick explained. “She should be here any-”

“AUNTIE BABS!” Mar'i shrieked, barreling through the doorway. She raced into the room and flung her arms around Barbara with such enthusiam that Babs grabbed for the side of her wheelchair, afraid that the force would tip them over.

“Lookit! Lookit!” Mar'i demanded, bouncing on her toes with excitement as she produced the gaudiest mass of pink construction paper, sequins, marker scribbles, and glitter glue that Barbara had ever seen. “S'for you!”

Barbara smiled at the child’s exuberance as she accepted the valentine. “I love it, sweetheart. Thank you so much,” she assured the little girl.

“And this one’s from me,” Dick added, handing Babs a second card. This one had writing in it, but Dick put out a hand to stop Barbara when she started to open it. “Not here,” he requested. “Save it until you get home, okay?”

Babs nodded, puzzled, but acquiesced. “Okay,” she agreed. “So, what happens now?”

Dick nodded his head towards Mar'i. “I think this girl can give you an answer to that,” he said.

“I'ss VIDEO TIME!” Mar'i declared.

“You heard the girl.” Laughing, Dick swept his daughter off her feet and dangled her upside-down. Mar'i squealed and giggled, twisting to and fro in an attempt to right herself that showed impressive agility for her age.

“So, what are we watching?” Babs asked as they made their way out of the room, Mar'i still upside-down over Dick’s shoulder.

“It’s a modern classic,” was Dick’s only, cryptic response.

“It’s not _Titanic_ , is it?”

“With my _one-year-old_? I should think _not_.”

“Wha’s Titanic?” Mar'i interjected curiously.

“It’s a movie that you can see when you’re much, _much_ older,” Dick replied teasingly, as he gently set the little girl down. He popped a DVD into the player, then darted into the kitchen, returning momentarily with a large bowl of popcorn. He settled back onto the couch, waiting patiently as Babs transferred herself from wheelchair to couch.

Mar'i surveyed the two adults for a moment, then unhesitatingly climbed into Barbara’s lap and curled up against her. Babs felt her heart ache a little at the simple, thoughtless affection of the gesture. Falling in love with Mar'i Grayson had not been something she had expected. Though she and Dick had been long over by the time Mar'i was born, part of her had refused to embrace the reality of Dick’s child with another woman. No matter how many times she told herself that she had no right to be jealous, for a long time, she had been unable to look at Mar'i without seeing her through the lens of bitterness and resentment. Yet, somehow, before Barbara had a chance to process what was happening, the little girl had effortlessly stolen her heart. Mar'i radiated boundless sweetness and unconditional love in a way that was impossible to resist. She must have inherited that from her father, Barbara reflected, with only a trace of irony.

Dick glanced over at the two of them, and for a moment, an inscrutable expression passed over his face. Barbara noticed the look, and caught his eye. “What is it?” she whispered.

Dick shook his head wordlessly. “Nothing,” he mouthed back. “Forget about it.”

Ignoring Barbara’s raised eyebrow, Dick focused his attention back on the screen, reaching over for a handful of popcorn from the bowl. “Let’s just watch the movie.”

* * *

Several hours later, end credits rolled, and Babs looked down at the sleeping child in her lap. Mar'i had drifted off somewhere around the last third of the movie, sucking her thumb contentedly.

“I should probably get her off to bed,” Dick said softly, getting up from the couch. He carefully lifted the little girl out of Barbara’s lap into his own arms. Mar'i stirred slightly as he picked her up, and she blinked sleepily. Seeing her father’s face, she closed her eyes again, reassured. “Daddy,” she murmured happily, nestling her face into his shoulder. Dick pressed his lips tenderly to the top of her hair and held her for a moment. Babs couldn’t help smiling at the picture they made.

“I’ll be right back,” Dick whispered to Babs over his shoulder.

He returned a few minutes later and rubbed his hands together briskly. “So! What would you like to do now?” he asked.

“Got anything to drink?” Barbara inquired.

“If by that you mean alcohol, then I’m afraid the answer’s no,” Dick apologized. “It’s become kind of G-rated around here since Mar'i came around. I’ve got some bubbly apple cider, though. Want to have some of that?”

Babs shrugged, laughing. “Sure, why not?”

“Okaaaay, here we go. Cookies and cider, the aphrodisiac of champions,” Dick joked as he walked back towards the kitchen, returning with two champagne glasses filled with cider and a plate of shortbread cookie hearts. Babs accepted a glass, smiling to herself. It wasn’t a traditional Valentine’s Day, any of it, but somehow it all felt… _right_.

“Here’s to Saint Valentine,” she toasted. “If he hadn’t been beaten to death and then decapitated, Hallmark wouldn’t be in business.”

“ _Babs!_ ” Dick protested, choking back a laugh. Barbara merely grinned at him.

“Sorry, Boy Wonder. I forget what a mush-hearted romantic you are, sometimes. Alright, forget that, here’s to… ” she paused to think of a suitable toast.

“To old loves, and new,” Dick suggested.

“Alright. To old loves and new.” Smiling a little self-consciously, they clicked glasses and sipped.

“So, what’s this about Kory and the 'hot date’?” Barbara asked.

“ _Ouch_ , Babs _,_ ” Dick teased. “Here we are, on the most romantic night of the year, and you want to talk about my ex?”

“Easy, Twenty-Something Wonder. This is strictly 'just friends’, remember?”

“I know, I know.” Dick laughed. “As to Kory’s date, you’re not going to believe this… it’s with Roy.”

Barbara sat up, her interest piqued. “Really? Kory and Roy?”

“I know, right?” Dick shook his head. “I couldn’t believe it either. I mean, all those years of being teammates and there was never anything between them. God knows Mar'i and Lian have enough playdates, though… I guess something clicked.”

Babs looked at him thoughtfully. “You don’t sound jealous at all,” she remarked.

Dick raised an eyebrow. “Does that surprise you?”

“I don’t know… a little, I guess.”

Dick shrugged. “Kory and Roy are my friends. I want them to be happy.”

“Kory used to be a lot more than a friend,” Babs observed pointedly.

“What are you really asking, Babs?” Dick sighed. “Are you asking if I’m attracted to Kory? I… could be. Are you asking if I care about her? I do. But it isn’t more than that, and it never will be.”

“I guess I’m asking _why_ it can’t be more than that,” Babs admitted. “I mean, I just don’t get it. You’re attracted to each other, you obviously care a lot about each other, you share a _child_ together… why _not_ give it a go? It makes no sense.”

Dick hesitated. “I don’t know if I should be talking about this with you.”

“I’m asking as your friend, not as your ex,” Babs assured him. “I’m just… curious, I guess.”

“Alright,” Dick ran his hand through his hair thoughtfully. “I guess… I guess it’s like this. Everything you said is true. Kory will always be someone incredibly important to me. She was a huge part of my past, and she had a lot to do with making me the person I am today. And, yeah, she’s the mother of my child, and that’s something that will always be between is. But the truth is, my past with Kory was so important to me that I refused to let go of our relationship long after I should have, and that only ended up hurting us both. I made a lot of mistakes, and it wasn’t fair to her- or to myself. I’ll never be sorry that Mar'i exists, but the truth is, I should have ended things between me and Kory a lot sooner than I did. Kory was exactly right for me when I was a teenager, but I’m not the boy she fell in love with anymore, and we both need something different. I’ll always care about her, but not as anything more than a friend.”

“You’ve thought about this a lot, haven’t you?” Babs asked. Dick nodded slowly.

“Yeah. I guess I have.”

“What about-”

“Don’t ask that question,” Dick interrupted.

Barbara frowned. “What-”

“I know what question you’re going to ask,” Dick said quietly. “And I’m asking you not to ask me that. I don’t think _either_ of us is ready to hear the answer yet.”

Barbara held his gaze for a moment, then looked away, nodding in assent. She covered the pause by taking a long drink of cider. “This is good,” she remarked.

Dick laughed. “Glad you like it. I know it’s not your classic Valentine’s Day fare.”

“No, but it’s still good.” Barbara moved closer to Dick, leaning her head against his shoulder. “Dick… thank you for being honest with me,” she said softly.

He moved to put his arm around her, ruffling her hair fondly. “Always,” he said, planting a chaste kiss on the top of her head. “I want you to _always_ be able to trust me to be honest with you.”

“I do,” Babs said seriously. “I trust you more than anyone, Dick.”

She was acutely aware of what a huge admission it was. For a moment, they simply stared at each other. Then a slow smile spread across Dick’s face. “Good,” he said simply. “That’s as it should be. Because you’re the person _I_ trust most, too.”

“And that-” he added. “Is _really_ the last we’re saying on the subject.”

They sat there like that a long time, drinking cider and munching on cookies, chatting companionably about everything and nothing. Hours passed before Barbara finally managed to pull her wits together and notice what time it was. “God! It’s late. I’d better get going, Dick,” she murmured. She’d stayed entirely too late as it was.

She could sense Dick’s reluctance, but he didn’t offer any kind of protest, merely went to fetch her coat as she pulled herself into her wheelchair.

Before she left, he bent down and pulled her into a hug. They held each other just a moment too long, her fingers tangled in the back of his shirt, his face buried in her hair. Their eyes met as they pulled away, and for a moment, Babs thought how easy it would be to reach up and kiss him, wondered how it would change everything if she could actually work up the nerve. But she didn’t quite dare, and the moment passed, unfulfilled.

When she was out the door, she opened Dick’s card and read:

_Dear Babs,_

_Relationships end, but love never dies._

_You will always be my Valentine._

_Love,  
_

_Dick  
_

Maybe it wasn’t the place they’d once dreamed of being. But it was a good place, nevertheless.


End file.
